BORDERERS could face a ‘stinking summer’ if a ballot for bin strikes is supported by council workers.
The Unite union has confirmed that its committee for local government workers has rejected the latest COSLA pay offer following a meeting in Glasgow this week.
Unite said no ‘extra cash’ had been added to the new pay offer, which amounts to a 3.2 per cent increase for a one-year period between April 1, 2024 and March 31, 2025.
The union so far has mandates for strike action in 16 local authority areas, including Edinburgh and Dumfries & Galloway.
It is now balloting its members in five further council areas, including the Borders and South Lanarkshire, with the results to be announced on July 29.
Unite’s Andrew Brady said: “The reason it is being re-balloted is that we held a ballot at the same time we got the 16 mandates across Scotland but the Scottish Borders just fell short, it was very close. It didn’t quite get over the line because of the public sector thresholds.
“It was the case actually that our members in the Scottish Borders overwhelmingly supported industrial action but they just fell short of the 50 per cent turnout threshold, which is why we are re-balloting.”
Unite said that the new pay offer ‘grossly undervalued’ Scottish council workers – in contrast with the offer made to UK counterparts.
An offer of £1,290 has been made to council workers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland by the National Joint Council (NJC).
This equates to a rise of 67p per hour or 5.2 per cent for a council worker earning around £25,000 based on a 37-hour week.
In contrast, the COSLA offer of 3.2 per cent equates to £800 or a 41p-per-hour increase.
Graham McNab, Unite industrial officer, said Scotland was "on the brink of nationwide strike action which could last for months".
“COSLA’s latest pay offer doesn’t add any extra cash," he said. "It continues to grossly undervalue Scotland’s council workers compared with the offer made to their counterparts across the UK.
“A stinking Scottish summer looms unless COSLA and the Scottish Government quickly sort this out by injecting more cash into a new offer.
“Any offer will need to value the lowest paid council workers, at least, on similar terms as the offer made to other UK council workers.”
On the 3.2 per cent increase, COSLA’s resources spokesperson, councillor Katie Hagmann, said: "It is important to stress that this revised, fair offer is at the absolute limit of affordability for councils, given the severe financial constraints local government is facing.
“This strong offer is worth more than the first year of the Scottish Government’s current public sector pay policy. It is a strong, fair and credible pay offer, reflecting the high value council leaders place on the local government workforce and the invaluable work they do every day serving communities across Scotland."
She said COSLA remained "committed to reaching a speedy and mutually agreeable resolution" to pay discussions.
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